Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish!
Snickerdoodles are a timeless classic, just like a good batch of chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies. Like drop sugar cookies wrapped in a cinnamon sugar hug, these irresistible cookies never go out of style. My recipe yields the softest and thickest snickerdoodles you’ll ever taste. I like to call them snickerdoodle pillows because they are perfectly fat and puffy! Much too often you’re left with flat, crispy, and thin cookies. The only remedy is to submerge them in a tall glass of milk. But what about starting out with a kitchen tested recipe for soft-baked snickerdoodles? You’ve come to the right place. 🙂
How to Make Soft Snickerdoodles
How do you make snickerdoodles puffy and soft? The secret’s in the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg. Don’t use shortening here; you’ll miss the flavor of butter. Slightly under-baking the snickerdoodles also guarantees a softer cookie. Take them out of the oven after about 10-11 minutes. This will keep the interior of the cookie soft and chewy.
Why is Cream of Tartar in Snickerdoodles?
Instead of baking powder, use cream of tartar and baking soda in snickerdoodles. Sure, you could use 2 teaspoons of baking powder instead of the cream of tartar + baking soda, but then you won’t really have a snickerdoodle. Cream of tartar adds a unique tangy flavor to the cookie, which sets it apart from sugar cookies and makes it a classic snickerdoodle. You also use it for the best flavor in maple pecan snickerdoodles. It’s absolutely delicious!
No Cookie Dough Chilling!
Great news! You can skip the cookie dough chilling step with this snickerdoodle recipe. There’s enough flour in this cookie dough to create a strong and sturdy cookie without the crutch of chilling the dough first. There’s also no fancy-pants ingredients required. These snickerdoodles are EASY. Shortbread cookies are another easy no chill recipe to keep in your back pocket.
A medium cookie scoop is helpful to divide up the dough. Roll each dough ball in cinnamon sugar, and arrange on a lined baking sheet:
These snickerdoodle cookies aced the true “soft test” meaning they remained soft on day 2! In fact, they were still soft on day 4. (And I’m surprised there are any leftover by that point, but I was trying to make a point!) Since they remain so soft, snickerdoodles are the perfect cookie for gift-giving. I know there are many snickerdoodle lovers out there!
If you’re looking for other snickerdoodle favorites, here are my pumpkin snickerdoodles and peanut butter snickerdoodles. And are you craving cake? Here’s my snickerdoodle cake & swirled snickerdoodle cupcakes recipes.
PrintSoft & Thick Snickerdoodles
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 26-28 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Here is my reader favorite recipe for soft and thick snickerdoodles. These soft-baked snickerdoodle cookies only require about 30 minutes start to finish! No dough chilling required.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 and 1/3 cup (267g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies). Set aside.
- Make the topping: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
- Make the cookies:Â Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 different parts. The dough will be thick.
- Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons (35g) of cookie dough each. I recommend this cookie scoop. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar topping. Sprinkle extra cinnamon-sugar on top if desired. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. When they are still very warm, lightly press down on them with the back of a spoon or fork to help flatten them out. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies remain soft & fresh for 7 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a few options here! First, you can prepare the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure that you let it come to room temperature before rolling and baking the cookies. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls. Roll the dough into balls then freeze the balls for up to 2-3 months. You can freeze the cookie dough balls with the cinnamon sugar coating or without, but I recommend freezing without the topping. When you are ready to bake, remove the balls from the freezer, let sit for 30 minutes, pre-heat the oven, then roll into topping. You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cream of Tartar:Â Cream of tartar is required for this recipe. Please see the text of the post for more information.
- Extra Egg Yolk: To bring this dough together so it isn’t quite as crumbly use 1 large egg, plus 1 extra large egg yolk. I’ve been doing this recently and the snickerdoodles taste even softer, moister, and richer.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
These are the best! Made with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour and they were soft and fluffy even 4days later ( an unusual feat for GF flour). Great flavor and easy to follow recipe.
Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for this awesome recipe! Snickerdoodles aren’t a very common thing here in New Zealand, but I wanted to try them after constantly hearing references to them in shows/movies (like Veronica Mars). I came across this recipe about 5 years ago – love it!
I end up making them a couple of times a year now, for friends or to bring into work, and everyone enjoys them. A friend tends to describe them as donut cookies, with the cinnamon sugar flavor. I have to give most away soon after I have made them though, otherwise I end up eating far too many myself!
This is my go-to snickerdoodle recipe, they are always a huge hit and come together so quickly and easily. Ran out of vanilla for today’s batch and subbed in rum and I think it really enhanced the flavor! I might make them this way going forward. Thanks for another surefire hit Sally!!
Awesome recipe, made at least 3.5 dozen with mini scoop as my perfect cookie shaper! Once cooled I placed two cookies side by side on plastic wrap, added a drizzle of Carmel Ice Cream Sauce to each cookie, then I Added a mini scoop of Blue Bell Vanilla Icecream to one cookie and sandwiched them together. Plastic wrap and freeze for 1hour! Delicious!
I’ve never made snickerdoodles before, and these came out delicious! I was low on butter, so I used part butter, part oil and they still came out amazing. Will definitely be making these again.
My dough was quite crumbly and the cookies seemed dry. I like the flavor but the consistency doesn’t seem quite right. I welcome any comments from experts!
Hi Patricia! Did you spoon and level the flour? I find that the slightest increase of flour will dry out these cookies. I recommend spooning and leveling (or weighing) it. Did you add the extra egg yolk? I’ve been swearing by that addition recently.
Gday, i kept reading about snickerdoodles in novels, and we dont have them here, so… i thought have a go. Great biscuits (well we call your cookies, biscuits). Will definitely do them again. Only ever made shortbread before, so thrilled with these. Dough came together brilliantly in my kitchenaid, if i went slowly and kept at it. Scaped a couple of times to make sure everything was there, then it came together and like all good dough came off the mixing bowl. And how can you not love something called snickerdoodles. Thank you, now in my reportaire. .
Amazing snickerdoodles! I don’t know why people are saying the dough was to crumbly my dough came out perfectly! And my cookies were fluffy and soft my kids and husband (and me) almost ate every single one in one night!
Okay, I’m giving this recipe 3 stars .
I followed the recipe to a T! But when it came to rolling the dough, I noticed it was dry and fell apart in my hands . If your dough turns out like this , add 2 tablespoons of butter!!! I did that and they were perfect afterwards .
These cookies came out AMAZING! I ended up being able to make a LOT of cookies out of the one batter, so I was curious if I could half the ingredients? I was thinking since the recipe only calls for one egg, I could whisk the egg together and weigh it, then portion half of it to use in the recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them, Rachel! Yes you can cut the recipe in half that way 🙂
Amazing recipe! I made it for the first time yesterday and they are the most perfect cookies ever. My boyfriend said they were the best cookies he’s ever had, so kudos to the chef!
If I want to make chocolate snickerdoodles using this recipe, would I need to reduce the amount of flour to compensate? Thinking of maybe 1/4 cup of cocoa powder??
I searched your blog and didn’t see a chocolate snickerdoodle. Thanks in advance!
Any changes necessary if making a double batch??
You can double this recipe with no changes. Enjoy!
All I can say is WOW! These cookies are THE BEST I’ve ever tasted. Super easy to make, my 7 year old did it with minimal guidance.
Any adjustments you’d make if you double the recipe?
What temp and how long for a true convection oven?
Thank you!
Hi Carole, The general rule for a convention is to lower the temperature by 25 degrees. So lower the oven temperature to 350F instead of 375 and also keep your eye on them as they still may bake faster.
Best snickerdoodles recipe I’ve tried, will definitely make this again and again! (:
Delicious. Worked out perfectly. We used caster/super fine sugar as we didn’t have granulated sugar and it was totally fine!!! Very nice. A huge hit for everyone is on our household. Nice and soft yet chewy which we love! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
These came out absolutely amazing! Crazy happy with these! Shopped around and the egg quantity was uniquely low on this recipe. But the statement about the ratio of butter to leavener to flour to egg made me choose this one. I added 1/2t bottled lemon juice, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Highly recommend!
Nope. Followed exactly, and like previous reviewer it was sand Not dough. The poster had mentioned don’t use as much flour, then what is the point of a recipe? I have mad a cookie or two in my time. This was the worst. Didn’t cook how it was supposed to. Nope. Wasted ingredients.
Hi Al, thanks for the feedback! Make sure you’re not accidentally over-measuring the flour. I always recommend spooning and leveling. Too much flour means the dough will be dry and heavy. Following this recipe as written, the cookie dough will eventually come together and the warmth of your hands (as you roll each) will bring it together as well. Hopefully you can still use the dough you have.
Hi! Do you have any recommendations on how to make the cookie flatter instead of puffier? Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Lily! Feel free to slightly reduce the flour for a little more spread.
I’d rate this a 10 if I could!! I began making snickerdoodles over 30 years ago but quit for over a decade because neither I nor my family liked how flat and hard they got after a half hour after baking. I tried every variation and hack I could but gave up in 2000.
I made these for my younger brother’s birthday yesterday. He’s been asking for them for months…his favorite cookie since he was little. I was skeptical but the pictures looked good so I thought I’d surprise him and gave it a shot. He had gourmet dinner with lobster, crab and crawfish flown in fresh, gourmet cakes specially made (all of which he appreciated and enjoyed) but NOTHING was raved about more than these cookies!!! NOTHING! My brother was simply in heaven. He ate them hot out of the oven and again half hour later and they were still soft and yummy.
My family are FOOD SNOBS and will tell you immediately if something is off (we’ve owned restaurants for many years so they’re REALLY picky)…these were the HIT of the day and every single person loved them too. I made nearly 6 dozen and there wasn’t but 5 left at the end of the evening. My 6 year old nephew loved them so much (and saw my brother did too) that he asked if I’d write the recipe down so he could make them for his daddy again. (heart melting)
Sally, I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. We’re Sicilian and Lebanese and one of my family’s love languages is food. They were so happy to have this favorite childhood sweet treat restored to the dessert table after such a long hiatus. This will go into our family recipe book with YOUR name on it 🙂 (My only curse is now they seriously want me to make them every Sunday since we gather every week for Family Sunday Dinner – “just us” is 22 people. Uh oh…)
I love this review! You can just hear your love and personality bubbling out.
Making these cookies for the first time for a friend….I didn’t grow up eating these, so they aren’t a favourite of mine…yet.
I am Gluten Free and it is very hard to find recipes that will work well with gf flour. I tried this recipe and it was amazing. I really suggest this recipe to anyone who is gf. Also it is a good holiday special.
Hi! I just baked these but they spread out so much. I followed the recipe exactly so I’m not sure what happened ):
Hi Terese, The #1 reason cookies spread too much is that your butter was too warm. Room Temperature Butter is actually colder than you think. You can also visit my post 10 Guaranteed Tips to Prevent Cookies from Spreading for more troubleshooting tips.
These are wonderful! I already made these cookies twice in one month. My mother is a “snickerdoodle snob” and she thought these were perfect!
Best ever! My cookies are usually good (for family) but not pretty. These look just as pictured and are the best snicker doodles I’ve made! Happy to be sharing them.
I followed this recipe to a tee. The cookies are soft, moist, and puffy. This is exactly what i was looking for. I will use this recipe again! I did double the recipe because sometimes the batter isn’t all that much, but for this recipe there was no need to double it.
Hi, I’ve tried this recipe with margarine and it still works well. Thanks for your recipe. However it’s a little sweet to me. So can I substitute granulated sugar with brown sugar (the brown sugar we have is less sweet than granulated sugar)?
Hi Trang, I haven’t tested this recipe using all brown sugar but you can certainly try it. The cookies won’t spread as much, so feel free to slightly reduce the flour too. Let me know how they turn out!
These are so good, we’ve made them several times in the past few months. The name is accurate, they are both “soft” and “thick” and stay that way for several days… if they can last that long.
These cookies are phenomenal!
I made these last night and I have NEVER been happier with a batch of cookies! Omg! I’ve only baked cookies from scratch once before but I made these for my boyfriend’s birthday – I just know I’ll be making them a lot more! They turned out perfectly. Texture is heavenly. Thank you!!!
Hello! I followed the recipe (i think) but the cookies came out flat, more like a snap than a thick and fluffy as the recipe says. tasty — bu thin and crunchy. What could i have done wrong?
thanks!
nicole
Hi Nicole, with 3 cups of flour, I’m surprised they spread so much! Make sure your butter is room temperature, not melty in the slightest. Did you change anything at all?